North Korean troops killed fighting Ukraine, says US happymamay

North Korean soldiers were killed while fighting Ukrainian forces in Russia’s Kursk border region, the United States said.

These will be the first reported casualties Since its appearance In October, North Korea sent about 10,000 troops to bolster the Russian war effort.

Ukraine’s military intelligence agency said at least 30 North Korean soldiers were killed or wounded in the fighting over the weekend.

The BBC has not independently verified these allegations.

The North Korean troops – none of whom will have any previous combat experience – are believed to have spent their first weeks after being sent to Russia in training and then in support roles.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that Russia had begun using “large numbers” in its attacks in Kursk, part of which Ukraine has since occupied. Launching a surprise incursion In August.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said the United States believes North Korean soldiers “participated in the fighting in Kursk alongside Russian forces” and “suffered casualties, including dead and wounded.”

He did not give specific numbers, but said the troops had been in combat for “just over a week.”

He added that the North Koreans appear to have been used in infantry roles and their involvement so far is believed to be limited to Kursk, meaning they have not been deployed to Ukraine itself.

Russian forces, which launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, have been advancing into eastern parts of the country in recent months.

GUR said the North Korean casualties occurred on Saturday and Sunday in the villages of Plekhovo, Vorobzha and Martynovka in Kursk.

On Monday, President Zelensky posted drone footage on Telegram that showed a number of men hiding behind trees, saying they were North Korean soldiers who had just taken part in an attack on a Ukrainian position.

He also posted footage that he said showed Russian forces trying to hide the presence of North Koreans on the battlefield by using campfires to burn the faces of the dead.

He added, “Ukrainian defense and intelligence forces are working to determine the full extent of the actual losses incurred by Russian units, which include the North Koreans.”

He added, “There is no single reason for North Koreans to die in this war.”

The Kremlin referred questions regarding deaths in North Korea to the Russian Defense Ministry, which did not comment on the matter.